Eternal Sunshine  Fading Fast
by dizzles
Summary: Tohru is the Sohma's salvation, thier flower, the spring which has melted their snow. But what if something happened to her? How would they react? ANIME BASED BUT I KNOW SOME OF THE MANGA SO IT'S NOT TOTALLY INACCURATE!
1. Chapter 1

OK…2nd FANFIC!! W00t! this is going to be quite dark after a few chapters…..but anyway….LOTS OF REVIEWS PLEASE!!!!! And ENJOY!!

Yuki's Vigil 

Yuki Sohma drew back from the screen door and stared out into the night. Why wasn't she home yet? Sighing, he closed the door and returned to the main room.

"Still no sign of Tohru?" Shigure asked, looking up from his book as Yuki entered the room.

"No…" the teen stated, flatly. He kneeled at the table. "Where could she be, it's almost 9:30?"

His older cousin smirked. "Maybe she's rescuing a cat from a tree?"

Yuki's eyes went cold. One look and Shigure's head returned to his book. He shuffled surreptitiously away from the silver haired boy. After all, his Kyo-inflicted bruises were healing up nicely…he didn't want any new ones.

By quarter to ten, Yuki had moved to the entryway. Of course, the roof would have provided a better vantage point, but – it was still **his** domain. He stared out into the night once more. His purple eyes were fixed on the crest of the hill opposite. Any second and he'd see…

Suddenly, he jerked his head off of his hands. Coming over the hill…

Within seconds, he was on his feet and running. All of his relief was poured into the smile he now wore.

"Miss Honda!" he exclaimed as he approached her. "I've been so worri-"

He broke off abruptly. Now that he was closer, he could see. Tohru's steps were small and faltering. She was doubled over, arms clutching her sides. Everytime she breathed in, her chest seemed to shudder. Her head was down, her brown hair hanging limply over her shoulders. It seemed to be weighing her down. She gave a weak cough, but even this needed a huge amount of effort.

"Yuki," she rasped, almost silently. "I'm – I'm s-s-sorry."

With this, her legs buckled, and she began to fall. Yuki stepped forward. A moment later, she had passed through his arms and landed on the dirt path. A grey rat landed on her forehead. Yuki laid a hand on Tohru's forehead. It was burning.

Okay….first proper cliffie!! What do people think? REVIEWS PLEASE


	2. Help from Hatori

Hello again!!!!! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year and now I have returned. Huge thanks to all reviewers, the result of which HAHA this one should be longer…I hope. Anyway, I'll stop taking up your valuable reading time and ENJOY!!!!

Chapter 2: Help From Hatori

"SHIGURE!"

The dog scrambled to his feet and rushed to the entryway. Yuki was gone, but what was that…? He stepped forward to meet the grey rat scurrying towards him.

"Yuki?" he called. "What happened? Is Tohru here?"

The rat ran straight past him into the house. A few moments later, Shigure heard a 'poof' as Yuki returned to human form. He reappeared almost immediately, fully clothed and carrying a blanket.

"Miss Honda's sick," the teen gasped breathlessly, dragging his cousin with him as he hurried along the path. "She's unconscious, we need to get her inside and call Hatori." His voice was panicky and his breathing sharp. Shigure loosed his arm from Yuki's grip and jogged alongside him. As they came over the hill, he paused. Tohru was lying on the ground, slightly on her side. Her eyes were closed but she looked anything but peaceful. Sweat glistened on her brow. She looked so pale, so vulnerable. Like a trampled flower…

Yuki stood at the top of the stairs, listening to Shigure's conversation on the phone. _At least the stupid dog isn't fooling around with Hatori like he normally does_ the rat thought, as he stepped out of the shadows and returned to Tohru's bedroom. His heart sank as he slid the door open. She looked worse than she had done when he'd left her. She wasn't even writhing around anymore. She just lay still…and silent…almost like she was…

"Hari's on his way." Shigure looked over Yuki's shoulder into the room. He couldn't think of anything else to say. After all, if he were Yuki, that's all he'd want to hear. A blanket of silence descended over the whole house. The Sohmas didn't move from beside the door. Tohru didn't even seem to breathe.

"She looked pale this morning," Yuki muttered softly. "And at school."

"She worked every night this week and last," Shigure added, half to himself. "But that's Tohru for you…"

With this, he retreated from the doorway, and went downstairs. He slid open the door to his study and stepped inside. Kneeling behind his desk, he lit a cigarette. The moon reappeared from behind a murky cloud and illuminated the room. The embossed text on the jackets of his favourite novels glinted. Light bounced off of the paperclip securing the manuscript he had successfully concealed from Mii the day before. Shigure exhaled a mouthful of smoke. He had driven her into the woods…and Tohru had spent almost an hour tracking her down and bringing her back, despite having homework to finish and dinner to cook. Tohru had only met Mii a few times…yet she was still as kind to her as she was to any of the Sohmas… Shigure inhaled deeply. Yes…what would the other members of the Zodiac make of Tohru's sudden illness…? His train of thoughts was disrupted by a sharp knock on the door. By the time the cigarette had landed in the ash-tray, Shigure was already closing his study door.

Hatori placed his stethoscope against Tohru's chest and listened. He could not help but notice how quiet the house was. Even with only 3 people living in it, when he'd previously visited, it had always seemed alive, somehow. Not now though… He returned the instrument to his bag, and took his watch in one hand and Tohru's wrist in the other. It was so frail… Hari shook himself mentally. This was not a good time for an emotional overload. Especially bearing his diagnosis in mind.

Slipping his watch back onto his wrist, the dragon glanced over his shoulder at Yuki and Shigure, both of whom were standing motionless by the door, nervously awaiting his verdict. The dog's tight-lipped, solemn expression was almost enough to prompt a reaction from his childhood companion. As for Yuki…he looked like he was about to be sick.

Sighing heavily, Hatori stood up and turned to face his cousins. "I'm afraid it doesn't look good," he stated blankly. "She has a very weak pulse and a high temperature. There's nothing I can do for her here. I'm going to call for an ambulance."

The room fell silent. Yuki stared blankly at the floor as the news sunk in. Shigure gazed emotionlessly out of the window at the bleak night sky, for once speechless.

"I'll…pack of her things for her…" Yuki stuttered eventually. Hatori nodded and made for the door.

As he passed Shigure, the dog muttered, "How can you stay so calm?"

Hatori paused, one hand on the door frame, and looked him in the eye.

"Somebody has to."


	3. Ayame's Appearance Oh Joy

Hello Everyone! Yes I may not have updated in yonks…but uber thanks to all reviewers, making me feel guilty…yes 7 alerts is enough to motivate anyone P ok so ON WITH the story.

**Chapter 3: Ayame's Appearance – Oh Joy**

Yuki had been staring at the same tiled, waiting room wall for over half an hour. Shigure was sitting opposite him, seemingly, reading a fishing magazine. Anyone entering the room now would not be able to guess that he was waiting for someone who had been rushed to the hospital by ambulance…but certain members of the waiting room had noticed that he had not turned the page of the magazine since he had picked it up.

No one in the room was talking, not even those who had come in together. Everyone was just entwined in their own thoughts. Yuki's mind was fixed in a loop: _where is she, what's wrong with her, why is it taking them so long, what if_ and, so far, he had halted the sequence there every time. The rat rubbed his eyes, and glanced at the plain, round clock hanging on the wall above him. It was twenty past eleven. There was no way he was going to school tomorrow. Sighing, he leant back against the cold wall.

Shigure glanced at his cousin across the room. Judging by Hatori's expression when he had left to discuss Tohru's condition with the hospital's doctors, they were in for a long night. His eyes wandered back to the glossy magazine. He had honestly intended to read the darned thing, curious as to how anyone could fill so many pages with articles devoted entirely to fishing. However, by some twisted coincidence, he had opened it at a page depicting a pretty young girl, with long, brown hair, laying an enormous trout on a dinner table. Tohru had cooked fish for them, just the other night. Had she looked pale then? If so, why hadn't he noticed? Of course, even he had, any questions would just have been met with a cheery smile and assurance that she was fine, and there was no need for him to worry. That would have been Tohru all over. As far as he could tell, she had lived her whole life trying to be as little trouble as possible to everyone around her. She could have been the girl in the picture. Easily – but her smile would have been sincere, not a false smile, provided at the photographer's request. He just could not bring himself to turn the page, but neither could he focus long enough to read a single word of it. Besides, turning the page would undoubtedly earn him disapproving glances: the waiting room seemed to be a place where making noise was frowned upon. 

"Gure!"

All heads turned to the doorway, which was entirely filled with Ayame Sohma and his sheer presence. His long white hair, and flowing robe made him an image of grace and wisdom…until you noticed the goofy grin plastered across his face. Yuki buried his head in his hands. This was lifted straight from his worst nightmare.

Nonetheless, his brother, completely oblivious to the sombre atmosphere, bounded over to Shigure, and collapsed over-dramatically into the chair beside him.

"Gure, as soon as I heard about our dear, sweet Tohru, I couldn't help but drop everything and rush over," he babbled. "Tell me, how is she? And how are you, having to face such a tragic event?"

Shigure's previously barren face warped into an expression of false suffering. "Coping, Aya, coping, but all the better for you being by my side!" he gushed, his voice raising to the same ridiculous pitch and volume as Ayame's. 

"I knew I was right in coming to you, Shigure!" the snake proclaimed, leaping to his feet. "Together, we will overcome this terrible tragedy!"

"Oh Aya!" Shigure cried, following suite. "You are my light, my sun, my earth. Je t'aime!"

Yuki turned away. The whole waiting room was staring, disapproving and disgusted, at the so-called "adults". This was just humiliating…

"Oh good Lord…"

The rat lifted his head, to see Hatori leaning, head in hand, on the doorframe. Unfortunately, he was not the only one.

"Ha'ri!" Ayame shrieked, bouncing over to the doctor's side, with Shigure in tow.

With a low groan, Hatori turned to him. "Ayame, what on earth are you doing here?"

The snake feigned horror. "Hatori, do you honestly believe that I rushed here for any other reason than to check upon the health of the dearest Miss Honda?"

Hatori could think of many reasons, none of which he was planning to voice. 

"Well?" A soft voice spoke up from behind the supposed adults. Yuki turned to him. "How is she?"

The dragon sighed, and stepped out into the corridor. His childhood friends exchanged a look. Yuki forced his way between them, praying that they were going to keep quiet for long enough for Hatori to tell him about Miss Honda. Hatori's face betrayed no emotion, as he turned to face them outside the waiting room.

Ayame glanced at Shigure as they followed Hatori out of the waiting room. The doctor seemed, somehow different. It was nearly impossible to try and work out what Hatori was thinking and feeling, but he definitely did not look as though he was about to give them good news. 

Once outside, the dragon turned to face them and sighed. "I'm afraid that Miss Honda's condition is much worse than I first imagined. It seems that she had contracted a mild bout of pneumonia, probably induced by working through another one of her colds." He paused. Shigure and Yuki were both looking downcast. After all, living with her, they were the ones who were supposed to make sure she did not overwork herself. Not that it was easy…she always seemed so content. 

Hatori continued, "It seems that this caused her body to release excess amounts of a hormone called ADH. This means that, when she sweats, she retains water, but not salt: this lack of salt may well have led to a case of hyponatremia, but the hospital will have to carry out a full analysis of her blood sample first."

The corridor was silent, save for the sound of the passing nurses' shoes on the tiled floor. Even Ayame seemed sombre for once. Hatori tried to turn away from them, but felt a hand on his sleeve. His eyes met with Yuki's broken expression.

"Can we see her?"

His question lingered in the air, for what seemed like an age.

Hatori sighed. "No, the doctors wish to carry out a number of tests tonight. You should be able to see her by tomorrow, but for the time being, I suggest you return home and rest. It's been a rather draining evening for all of us," he replied, monotonically. With that, he placed his hands in the pocket of his coat, and strode down the corridor. As the stately tap-tap of his shoes faded, Yuki turned back to Shigure and Ayame. 

"I'll call us a taxi then…"

His brother watched as the rat walked steadily down the hallway towards the pay-phones. It seemed that all they could do for the time being was wait.

So, there we have it…

Please tell me what you think, and I'll try and write the next chapter soon…but you know what I'm like P 


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